It's a brisk clear day in early fall at Milliways. Perfect for a picnic by the lake, especially by the Caribbean inlet where the lake has been made to think it's an ocean and the warmer tropical air blends with the cool crispness of autumn in Scotland.

Andrew's been intermittently eyeing the picnic basket Matt's carrying as they make their way toward the shore.

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The rock really does look kind of perfect: broad, flat, almost level, with only the tiniest irregularities, surrounded by soft sand for sitting on -- and with a lovely view of the turquoise water and the incongruous mountains beyond.

Andrew folds down onto the sand with a contented sigh. "This was a great idea."

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It's a great view. Matt spends a moment setting the basket on the rock, toeing off his shoes and settling down with an elbow on the rock-- you know, the way they tell you not to put your elbows on the table.

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And show off what he brought! Although maybe Andrew will hate it. Although given the volume and variety of what's in this basket, that is statistically unlikely unless he really doesn't like sandwiches.

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"I'm gonna have to insist on having half the fig and goat cheese? But everything else is open season. There's caprese, the ciabatta is basically a classic ham and cheese, and then the skinny one is a BLT with garlic aioli. Bon appetit?"

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He has to admit that with the bustle of getting out here achieved, the glow of Andrew appreciating his sandwiches isn't quite enough to distract him from--

Well, the same internal dance he's been doing with himself for a little while now.

Because Andrew is, seriously, the sweetest. (So far.) And he's not proud of whatever it is he did. But if he's so convinced it's a deal-breaker, what is Matt doing out here with him, on this gorgeous tropical beach, eating sandwiches he assembled in a painstaking mix of diversity and flavor optimization?

It's not the right time to get stuck on these thoughts. But that's the thing about them, Matt's noticed: They tend to crop up right when things are going well.

This is to say that it might be a beat or two before he replies, "I have a soft spot in my heart for bacon. But the fig and goat cheese is pretty great."